The Prayer of Jabez
Rev. Thomas B. Cundiff
Luke 11: 5-139
THE JABEZ PRAYER
Jabez called on God of Israel
saying, “Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your
hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not
cause pain!” So God granted him what he
requested. I Chronicles 4: 10
Luke 11: 5-13
Perseverance in Prayer
5And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a
friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and
I have nothing to set before him.’ 7And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother
me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I
cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, even though he will not get
up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his
persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given
you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for
everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11Is there anyone among
you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?
12Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13If you then, who are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
I.
The
Prayer of Jabez[1]
Some years ago Leore Bethune introduced me to a little
book by Bruce Wilkinson, “The Prayer of
Jabez”. Based on scripture from I Chronicles,
this book has brought strength and encouragement
to me and numerous others facing a wide range of daily challenges. “The
Prayer of Jabez”:
“Oh that you would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my (Coast) territory,
that your hand would be with me,
and that you would keep me from
evil,
that I may not cause pain!”
Who was Jabez?
Not a lot is known about Jabez. The books of Chronicles, found in the Old
Testament, lists a lot of all-inclusive chronologies of those who have been
faithful descendants of Judah
It would have been a cruel assignment to have asked a worship leader to read all
those names this morning!
One name stands out along with the prayer
referred to as The Prayer of Jabez.
What is this prayer?
This prayer can be dissected into five
phrases:
- The first
phrase:: “Oh, that you would bless me indeed”.
It’s OKAY to ask for
God’s blessings! The neat thing about
blessings is they are transferable. You
can easily call upon God for personal blessings and then transfer those
blessings to others. As a reflection of this
biblical concept of “blessings” we turn to Genesis 12:2 and the words to Abram
who says, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you ... so that you
will be a blessing to others.” Honestly,
it is hard to think about personal blessings without also contemplating how
we pass these gifts, these offerings --
these blessings on to others.
- Second phrase: “and
enlarge my territory...” is
allowing us to live larger than ourselves.
What Jabez is praying: enlarge
our borders, our coast, our perception of tasks and risks we are willing to
take knowing that God is always going to have our back. We could also pray: “Allow
me and all of us gathered today to live a bold and commanding life, O Lord” … or “Help us life outside the box of normal perceptions in doing your will!” I
will have more to say about this theme in just a few moments.
- Third phrase: “that
your hand would be with me...”
The “hand” of God is usually associated with an image of the power of
God. It is asking for God not only to
bless us but also to empower us in living our lives. As Christians where do we get our strength,
our motivation, our power? Jesus Christ
our Lord is our strength and salvation – or as Psalm 18 says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my
deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge.” God’s hand, God’s power surrounds and
empowers us!
- Fourth Phrase: “and
that you would keep me from evil….”
There are a lot of temptations in this world….an array of pressures and
temptations in life that get us off track.
These are all the things of this world around us that keep us from realizing
our full spiritual potential. These are
things of the world that separate us from God.
Just like it says in the Lord’s prayer, “deliver us from evil….”, this Prayer
of Jabez helps us use the strength that comes from God to resist evil in
our lives and the world around us.
- Fifth and last phrase:
“That I may not cause pain….”
This concept isn’t discussed nearly enough. As Children of God, we are here to bring JOY
to others – not anguish or pain! I’ve
said this many times: “It’s natural for us to smile! It’s hard work to frown.” To
bring joy into the lives of others is truly a calling…..its like wrapping our
lives in blessings…gifts we can give to others.
The example of my new grandson, Thomas:
WE love it when he is laughing or smiling. It gets to be frustrating rather quickly when
he cries. It’s only natural to what the
smiles in life, the blessings…..who in their right mind would want
pain????
II.
ENLARGE
MY TERRIRORY
The ‘heart’ of the prayer of Jabez is this one
phrase that caught my attention:
“Enlarge My Territory”!
This particular phrase has taken me back to some
memories from High School. I recall various
conversations with friends when I was a teenage ready to graduate about where
to go to college. Do I stay close to
home or leave the “nest” to travel to Nebraska
Active in the Presbyterian church, surrounded by
wonderful mentors, I was already starting the adventure in contemplating ordained
ministry. I am grateful to this day for
the wonderful mentors and prayers from a church that gave me the freedom to
“Enlarge My Territory” that would eventually take me to churches in Iowa Illinois Saginaw , Michigan
My point and message to you – particularly young
people: As God has blessed me and
enlarged my territory of ministry in ways I could have never imagined, God can
do the same for you! What are some of
your hopes and dreams? Where do you feel
God is leading you vocationally? In what
ways is God calling you to “enlarge the territory” of possibilities and new adventures
God has for you and your future?
Thinking about this “enlarging our territory” in
the context of the church: It took a
group of faithful, dedicated women and men back in the 1960’s, horse drawn
carriages and beautiful mansions all around this property – to risk creating a
church that would be known for over a century as the Warren Avenue Presbyterian
Church. Historically, there was some years in struggling
whether we would be a Congregational or Presbyterian-type church. You know our
decision. The other church, the
congregational church is just a block away.
Over the years we have had many opportunities as
a church to expand our territory not geographically but in doing ministry in
trying to do new things in different ways.
As a large church with a small congregation we are still open to hearing
the voice of God calling us to enlarge our territory – spiritually, so God can
continue to bless others with the same blessings we have received from our
creator.
Think about it – all the wonderful ways we have been blessed
as a church.
Think about it – all the wonderful ways God has blessed us
in our lives.
All of us can share stories about God’s “enlarging our territory of blessings”
with family and friends and church.
Of course there have been tough times. We are always going to have challenges to
address. Life is always going to be full
of trials and tribulation! But when I
look out at you – it is much easier to see the blessings….blessings God has
given all of us!
One more point:
Let’s not forget this is a prayer. There is so much we can get from this little
prayer found in the heart of the Old Testament.
Looking at this prayer in the context of our
scripture reading from the gospel of Luke would require our looking at another
theme: PERSEVERANCE. Luke says don’t give up!
“Ask and it will be given to you and search and your will
find. Knock and the door will be
opened. For everyone who asks receives
and those who search finds and for everyone who knocks the door will be
opened.”
Ask, knock, search and find ways God can and
will help us enlarge our territory – expand horizons in doing new and creative
things in serving our Lord.
May God continue to expand the boundaries of
care and compassion and encouragement – blessings we receive and blessings we
pass on to others in serving our Lord.
May God continue to bind us together in
love….building us up in Christ’s spirit!
Amen
[1] Much of this sermon today was inspired by
the work of Dr. Stuart D. Broberg, Interim Pastor of the Westminster
Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh , PA October 3, 2004 .
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